


loud 'n proud

by sundrymunity



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, One Sided Love, probably anyway, so who else loved that nekoma ova
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-16 10:42:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3485243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sundrymunity/pseuds/sundrymunity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>lev -> kenma. it's totally obvious he's got a crush on that guy, and lev's never been the quiet sort at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	loud 'n proud

Lev stares hard at Kenma, touching his toes easy as Inuoka struggles beside him, and leans back on his hands when Yaku comes by.

"Say, Yaku-san, what kinda relationship do Kenma-san and Kuroo-san have?"

"One where they can talk without speaking. They're childhood friends, Lev, they're close." He presses onto Inuoka's back and ignores the cries of pain until toes have been touched, releasing the first year. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason. I was just wondering because they're always together and stuff." It'd become apparent to Lev that you rarely saw one without the other - they came to practice together, they left together, they'd hang out away from the rest of the group sometimes and talk - and he'd had this funny feeling in his gut whenever he saw them together, kind of a burning that reminded him of food poisoning but without the puking. So far. He stretches again, watching Kuroo push Kenma into action and get ready for practice.

They're so close. Childhood friends are really something else. It makes him wish _he_ had a childhood friend, too, but growing up tall hadn't really lent itself to making friends.

"Kenma-san~" Lev practically sings, gravitating over to the second year setter, "will you toss to me today too?"

"Mm... I have to anyway," is what he says, but he seems as determined as before when tossing the ball up in the air in preparation for Lev's spike. Lev gets in position and they go through their usual routine, the score at ball 16 to his steadily improving 4 by the time Kuroo calls them over for teams, and the first year feels disappointment in his aching muscles as he stands up front to block.

It takes a few weeks, and he's not even the one who realizes it, but Lev might have a crush on Kenma. Shibiyama's actually the one who voices it, half a question and half unsure, and the other two first years sit there with their knees touching in thought.

"... I like Kenma-san?" Of course he does. But saying it outloud like that gives Lev as bad of a case of the butterflies as sharing Kenma's water bottle yesterday did (though he'd put that down as just leftover adrenaline from laps). So maybe it's like, a like-like. Lev frowns, plays with his shoelaces, and looks at his two friends from under his bangs. "That's weird."

It is. That much they agree to. But, as weird as it is, Lev becomes absolutely aware and all too certain as to what he feels when he sees Kuroo and Kenma with their shoulders pressed together, the taller chatting while the apparent object of his affections plays with his phone: Jealously. Burning, boiling jealous. Not for a childhood friend (though he does seriously still want that and thinks that maybe taking applications for it might work out) but, like, to be close to Kenma too. Maybe hang out a lot. Chase cats together. Have a cat family. Little kittens and stuff. There'd be a lot to hug then. That'd be nice.

No matter how much Yaku's words try to assure Lev ("They're childhood friends, Lev, they're close.") there's always the nagging doubt of _what if they're not_ just _childhood friends_ and that leaves him laying on his back at bedtime, staring at his ceiling and listening to his grandma's television down the hall.

Why would Roldolph even come back for Marianne if he had a kid with her cousin Georgia in France, anyway. It just _sounds_ like a bad idea.

Lucky for his own conscious, he actually gets the chance to ask Kenma about it when they're jogging in the morning and he lags behind just in case there's another cat incident. And because he likes Kenma.

"So, hey, Kenma-san, can I ask you something kind of weird?"

"When's that ever stopped you before?" So yeah, sure. Okay. He gathers up his courage, feels only a little bad for the obviously tired already setter, and all but shouts his question.

"Are you and Kuroo dating?!"

Every pair of feet falls silent and Lev finds he and Kenma in the starring roles of one of his grandma's dramas. The one about love confessions and a secret marriage. That one had a pretty good finale, or so it sounded like it. Kenma shuffles on his feet and is clearly, _clearly_ uncomfortable, but there's really no running away.

So Kenma opts to do only other thing Kenma can do.

"Not in a million years."

"Oh, Kenma, you wound me!" Kuroo shouts from the front, hand to his heart and all. It breaks the tension immediately as jokes go around and Lev lets out the breath he was holding, staying behind with Kenma as the others start off again.

Once they're out of hearing range, Lev rubs the back of his neck and looks down at Kenma's soured expression.

"... You're so loud, Lev," is all he says, and the first year breathes a sigh of relief. "What... made you think that, anyway? Kuro's dumb."

"Oh, um, just because you two are close and all..." That's part of the truth, so it's fine to leave it there, right? Kenma stares at him like he's figuring out what's best, but off the court it feels a lot more threatening. Would right now be okay for a confession? Or, like, when do you do that. Should you?

After a firm study, Kenma drops his eyes back down and nods, sighing as he starts to walk along. "If you wanna ask something like that again, do it when you're not so on edge. It's a pain otherwise..."

"Uh, okay. I will! Sorry, Kenma-san, I didn't think it'd come out so loud."

"Well, you're loud. So I didn't really expect any less," with the tiniest smile he's ever seen out of Kenma, and Lev's pace slows in serious contrast to his heart as he realizes that there's probably no way he's gonna get out of this like-like thing and he's gonna have to deal with it. "Ahh, I'm tired..."

"-- Let me carry you! I'm fast, so we'll catch up in no time!"

Kenma takes one look at him and immediately helps himself to a piggyback ride. It's warm and they're so close. Hopefully Kenma can't feel his heart. That'd be embarrassing. With a deep breath, Lev takes off at full speed, bounding with his long legs right past the rest of the group with a holler and completely unaware of Kenma's life flashing before his eyes right behind him.

If anyone asked, his red face and fast pulse was definitely, _definitely_ because of the run, not because of the arms clinging tightly around his neck. Definitely.


End file.
